The World Council of Churches invites all the member churches to observe a Sunday of Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula on 12 August.

Each year, Christians are invited to join in a prayer for peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Prepared by the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) and the Korean Christian Federation (KCF), the prayer is traditionally used on the Sunday before 15 August every year.

The 15th of August, celebrated as Liberation Day in both North and South Korea, marks the date in 1945 when Korea won independence from Japanese colonial oppression, yet ironically it also was the day when the peninsula was divided into two countries.

The Korean Christian Federation Central Committee (North Korea) and the National Council of Churches in Korea (South Korea) have composed their annual joint prayer for peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula for 2018. The World Council of Churches is inviting its fellowship and all people of goodwill to use the prayer during worship, especially on 12 August, the weekend before August 15th, the anniversary of Korea’s liberation and division.

Churches are encouraged to translate this prayer into their national languages and share it with their congregations.

This story originally appeared on https://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/events/sunday-of-prayer-for-the-peaceful-reunification-of-the-korean-peninsula